Lake Retba

Also known as Lac Rose, Pink Lake

pink lake in Senegal

Key facts

Location: Cap Vert Peninsula
Type: Hypersaline lake
Basin countries: Senegal
Surface area: 3 km (1.2 sq mi)
Max depth: 3 metres (9.8 ft)

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of: tourist attraction
Country: Senegal
Area: 3
Elevation: 0
Image: Ngeej bu Retba.jpg
Width: 1
Length: 3.85
Has use: extraction of salt

Show 5 more facts

Commons category: Lac rose (Senegal)
heritage designation: Tentative World Heritage Site
vertical depth: 3
salinity: 400
product or material produced: table salt

Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~4 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Cap Vert peninsula (NASA, 22 Nov. 2004) Lac Rose in Senegal Lake Retba, also known as Lac Rose (meaning "pink lake"), lies north of the Cape Verde peninsula in Senegal, some 35 km (22 mi) north-east of the capital, Dakar. It is named for its pink waters caused by Dunaliella salina algae and is known for its high salt content, up to 40% in some areas. Its colour is usually particularly strong from late January to early March, during the dry season. Flooding in September 2022 not only disrupted salt harvesting activities on the lake, but also led the lake to lose its colour, causing a negative effect on tourism. However, as of 2025, the lake has regained some of its colour.

The lake is, as of May 2026, under consideration by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Lake Retba” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.